{"id":872624,"date":"2026-06-17T03:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T03:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/872624\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T03:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T03:22:15","slug":"how-aja-wilson-continues-to-find-ways-to-level-up-her-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/872624\/","title":{"rendered":"How A&#8217;ja Wilson continues to find ways to level up her game"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to the WNBA, there are three certainties: a winner, a loser and A\u2019ja Wilson breaking records.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s the thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A\u2019ja Wilson can\u2019t stop winning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breaking a record here, moving up on a list there, Wilson has become an unstoppable force. Even when the Aces lose a game, she still comes away with a win, whether it\u2019s Player of the Week or a new franchise record.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through the first month of the season, Wilson is an early favorite to win her fifth MVP award and Defensive Player of the Year, and she is on track to move up to sixth on the all-time blocks list, needing just 22 more. She\u2019s doing this all before she turns 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson currently needs 22 more blocks to move into sixth place on the all-time list. When asked about it, she told The IX that while these accolades are nice, her main goal is to grow as a player year after year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI mean, it\u2019s cool,\u201d Wilson told The IX, \u201cbut it\u2019s still, for me, I\u2019m just like, I can\u2019t really pay any attention to that. My biggest thing is just like, how can it be better than last year? Like, that is my biggest area of growth that I always want to measure myself on. That\u2019s the true grade of just, like, am I better than last year? Did I add something from last year to this year? It\u2019s too early to see now, but I\u2019m definitely feeling good about just coming into this season and being ready to rock and roll.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Saturday\u2019s matchup against the Minnesota Lynx, she dropped 24 points, including a 3-pointer. She also had 10 rebounds to secure the double-double.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Going into that game, she needed 25 blocks to move up. She managed to get three blocks, inching closer to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/j\/jacksla01w.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.theixsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-16_bbr\">Lauren Jackson<\/a>\u2019s 586 blocks, which have her at sixth on the all-time blocks list.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat feels great,\u201d Wilson told The IX. \u201cIt really does. Like, on the defensive end, it\u2019s something that\u2019s so key that I knew I needed to up coming into this league. Now, would you tell me, a rookie A\u2019ja, that she would win this Defensive Player of the Year in this league? I would probably laugh in your face, but it\u2019s pretty amazing to see the growth in that area that I\u2019m really just trying to get after.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the Aces struggling against the Dallas Wings in their 96-66 loss, Wilson still managed to play a critical role in their comeback attempt. She scored 18 points in this game and had five rebounds and two assists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-fl-body-bg-background-color has-background has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women\u2019s Sports Daily<\/strong><br \/><\/strong><br \/>We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women\u2019s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women\u2019s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thanks to her recent performances, Wilson came out on top as the Western Conference Player of the Week. This is the 30th Player of the Week accolade of her career.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week, she averaged 30 points per game, nine rebounds per game and 2.7 blocks per game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about what these accolades say about Wilson\u2019s skill, head coach <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/h\/hammobe01w.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.theixsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-16_bbr\">Becky Hammon<\/a> made her statement simple.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt says that she\u2019s the best,\u201d Hammon told The IX, \u201cand she continues to be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People outside of the Aces\u2019 organization are also acutely aware of Wilson\u2019s prowess. Now that she has improved her three-point shooting, she has become even more of a force on the court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA\u2019ja is, when she gets the ball, \u2026 one of the hardest players in the world to stop,\u201d Wings forward <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/s\/shepaje01w.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.theixsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-16_bbr\">Jessica Shepard<\/a> told reporters after the game Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the 2025 season, Wilson was the main reason the team made its midseason turnaround to become a championship team. She sent a text after the infamous 53-point loss to Minnesota, which sent them on a 16-game win streak.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, she\u2019s leading them in their attempt at a second back-to-back championship run.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>Rep The IX Sports at your next game! <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/the-ix-sports.myshopify.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"50185\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.theixsports.com\/?attachment_id=50185\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.theixsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/unisex-premium-sweatshirt-black-zoomed-in-69d805eea2e49.webp\" data-orig-size=\"2000,2000\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"unisex-premium-sweatshirt-black-zoomed-in-69d805eea2e49\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/unisex-premium-sweatshirt-black-zoomed-in-69d805eea2e49-1024x1024.webp\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/unisex-premium-sweatshirt-black-zoomed-in-69d805eea2e49-1024x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-50185 size-full\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shop the logo collection or special \u201cWomen\u2019s Sports are Front Page News\u201d collection now on Shopify.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/wnba\/players\/l\/loydje01w.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.theixsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-16_bbr\">Jewell Loyd<\/a> joined the Aces roster last season. After being in the league for 12 years, Loyd has seen players grow and become stars, Wilson included, and she continues to be impressed by her teammate, noting that Wilson\u2019s point totals amount to however many she decides to score.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Loyd plays a critical role for the Aces, especially on offense. She, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=youngja01w,youngja02&amp;search=Jackie+Young&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=www.theixsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-06-16_bbr\">Jackie Young<\/a>, and the rest of the team do their best to get players away from Wilson and create ball movement. However, whenever Wilson has the ball, multiple defenders attempt to stop her.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI mean, she\u2019s getting these pictures of her surrounded by five people every night, four people every night, and still being efficient,\u201d Loyd said. \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to do in this league, and she\u2019s done it season after season, so that\u2019s pretty amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Young shared the same sentiment with The IX. After being drafted first overall in 2019, Wilson took her under her wing, and they\u2019ve had solid chemistry and been close ever since.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s pictures where you\u2019ve seen four or five people around you, and so that\u2019s the attention she heard every night,\u201d Young told The IX. \u201cI think she\u2019s just so great at what she does, and just making the right read.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite one loss this week, Wilson just can\u2019t stop winning. After it was announced that she earned the Western Conference Player of the Week, Wheaties announced that she would be on their next round of cereal boxes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson is widely considered to be one of the best players in the league, and at this point in her career, it seems she has no intention of slowing down anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Loyd told The IX about Wilson\u2019s potential. \u201cI never would have put any limits on anybody, because I think she\u2019s limitless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to the WNBA, there are three certainties: a winner, a loser and A\u2019ja Wilson breaking&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":872625,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[49],"tags":[2341,20890,15536,354909,4144,62,67,132,68,232],"class_list":["post-872624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-aja-wilson","tag-becky-hammon","tag-jackie-young","tag-jewll-loyd","tag-las-vegas-aces","tag-sports","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-wnba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}